Producer Says Anthem Game Development Began Before Destiny Launch

Since its official reveal at E3 2017, Anthem hasn’t been able to escape the Destiny comparisons. Like Destiny, BioWare’s shared-world shooter has an alien aesthetic and emphasizes loot. Therefore, in many respects, the constant comparisons may seem warranted. However, to clear up some of the confusion, BioWare Lead Producer Mike Gamble has revealed that Anthem was in development prior to Destiny’s September 2014 launch.

Gamble relayed the news in an interview with the French website, Jeux Video. During the video interview, Gamble revealed, “It’s interesting, because Anthem has been in development since before Destiny even came out…” However, the producer did note that “games these days are influenced by the games out in the market to a certain degree.” This seems to at least suggest that Destiny, to some extent, may have had an influence on BioWare’s upcoming title.

Some would argue that BioWare is improving upon the Destiny formula, especially with regards to post-launch DLC plans. For example, the studio has already announced that all of Anthem’s story DLC will be available for free to all players.

Additionally, BioWare recently doubled-down on its promise that Anthem will not feature loot boxes. Of course, Destiny isn’t the only online shooter to have been plagued by loot box controversies. Star Wars Battlefront II, published by BioWare’s parent company, Electronic Arts, also faced a wave of contention about loot box practices. Thus, it’s hard to pinpoint where Destiny’s potential influence on Anthem in this regard begins and ends.

The wait for Anthem’s highly-anticpated release is nearly at an end. Anthem will hit the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One on February 22, 2019. Before then, those interested in the title can experience a part of what Anthem has to offer in a VIP demo on January 25th. A public demo is scheduled to go live on February 1st.